The Diamond Flower
by tinkfan14
Summary: Flynn and Rapunzel have just been married. Princess Merida is a guest, but she finds out her magic mirror isn't working. She tells them of the tale of the Diamond Castle. She and Kathleen, the captain of the guards granddaughter, embark on a journey with the two back to Scotland where they discover a secret. Is this secret connected to Melody's disapearance from the mirror?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Once, long ago, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens, and from this single drop of sunlight, grew a magical , golden flower. The flower had the power to heal the sick and injured. Not far from this flower, there was a kingdom, and the queen of this kingdom was about to have a chills; however, she grew dangerously ill. The whole kingdom searched for the flower, and when they found it, they uprooted it and made it into a remedy to heal the queen. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl, a princess, with beautiful golden hair. She named her Rapunzel. The king and queen launched a flying lantern to celebrate her birth. But that night, an old woman who had been hording the golden flower for herself broke into the castle to take revenge.

She discovered the flower's magic had been transferred to the princess's hair, and would retain it's magic if the hair was never cut. So the old woman, whose name was Gothel, kidnapped the princess and hid her in a tower deep in the forest. She raised the child as her own, but she never let the little princess leave the tower. Every year on Rapunzel's birthday, the kingdom would launch thousands of lanterns in hope that their lost princess might one day be found.

Rapunzel, upon seeing these, wished to see them up close. Years later, right before her eighteenth birthday, she asked her "mother" if she could see them up close. Gothel steadfastly refused to let her leave the tower. Therefore, when a certain thief by the name of Flynn Rider sought refuge in her tower, she seized her chance. She hid the thief's satchel , and if he took her to see the floating lights, she would return it to him. Flynn reluctantly agreed. For the first time ever, Rapunzel had the feeling of freedom. As they traveled to the kingdom to see the lights, Flynn slowly began to see the world through Rapunzel's eyes. Perhaps he didn't need to be a thief to get what he wanted. Really the whole time, what he looking for was standing right in front of him.

Flynn and Rapunzel fell in love as they watched the lanterns rise in the sky. The crown he had stolen didn't matter anymore. Rapunzel was his new dream. After the lanterns descended, he took the satchel with him in attempt to give it to the other thieves, the Stabbington brothers, he had cheated; however, the Stabbingtons had discovered Rapunzel's magic powers and wanted her instead. They knocked Flynn out and tied him to a boat, sending him across the lake to his doom: prison and the gallows. Rapunzel thought Flynn had left her. Heartbroken, she ran to Gothel, and they traveled back home to the tower.

Meanwhile, friendly thugs whom Flynn and Rapunzel had met on their journey, helped the thief to escape. He jumped on a horse named Maximus and sped to the tower. He climbed up Rapunzel's long hair into the tower. But Rapunzel had found out the truth about herself: she was the lost princess. Gothel was furious, and she stabbed Flynn with her dagger. Rapunzel vowed she would stay with Gothel forever if she was allowed to heal Flynn. Flynn, however, did not wish for Rapunzel to stay in captivity forever, so he did the one last thing that could free her. He cut her hair. Instantly, Rapunzel's hair lost its power and turned brown. Gothel turned hundreds of years old and withered away. Rapunzel was free at last, but at the cost of Flynn's life. Without her magic hair, she couldn't heal him. Flynn breathed his last breath. Rapunzel cried, and a tiny golden tear slipped down her cheek onto Flynn. The magic healed him, and Rapunzel could not have been happier. She was reunited with her parents, the king and queen, and Flynn ( whose real name was Eugene Fitzerbert) stopped thieving and basically turned it all around.  
>Time passed and Rapunzel and Flynn were married, and they were living happily ever after. Or so they thought…<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! I am SO extremely sorry for taking SO long to update. This won't happen again! There has just been alot going on with school and everything, but I'm taking a typing class and I'm required to practice typing 15 minutes a day. Well, I can type whatever I want, so I can type up my stories! Yay! We won't have such long waits again. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>The carriage wheelsturned slowly in unison over the pebbled village road. Flowers draped over the sides of the carriage, and seated in it were the newly-weds, Rapunzel and Eugene Fitzerbert, returning home from their honeymoon. They had spent a peaceful week in a quaint, nearby kingdom with a name no one in the kingdom could pronounce. Rapunzel and Eugene waved to all the townsfolk as they passed by.<p>

Maximus trotted by, pulling the carriage alongside Branhilde, the horse who belonged to Kathleen, the Captain of the guards granddaughter. When the carriage came to a stop, he leaned over to give Branhilde a cheesy smile. Of course, it didn't match the smolder, and wasn't nearly as charming. Although Branhilde always paid Max some attention, she merely rolled her eyes at his silly expression.

Eugene stepped out of the carriage to give Rapunzel a hand. As he did so, the king and queen walked outside to greet them.

"Welcome home, my darling! You too, Eugene!" Queen Charlotta greeted. "Was your trip pleasant?"

"Oh, it was!" Rapunzel replied with her usual enthusiasm, "Wasn't it Eugene?"

"Of course it was, Blondie," Eugene answered. Pascal then jumped onto his shoulder and gave him a warning glance, "Oh alright! It was great!"

"Wonderful," Charlotta said, clasping her hands in delight, "Come inside, both of you. There is to be a grand dinner tonight in your honor with the royal guests. You'll want plenty of time to rest and get ready."

The two, well actually the three if you include Pascal, followed the king and queen inside the castle. Servants bustled by, and noises could be heard from the kitchen where the dinner was being prepared. As Rapunzel and Eugene walked down the halls to their new bedroom, they passed King Fergus and Queen Elinor of the Scottish realm.

"Ah, I see you're back in time for da feast!" Elinor said, "You'll of course want to meet my eldest daughter, Merida. You probably deedn't get to meet her properly at the wedding ceremony."

"I'll be looking forward to it! My stomach is growling for food already!" Rapunzel replied, giddy with excitement. Eugene chuckled to himself.

"Speaking of Merida, do you by any chance know where she has gone?" Fergus asked, "I haven't seen her all morning."

"I believe she went off somewhere with da Captain of the guards granddaughter," came Elinor's reply, "They seemed to have similar hobbies and interests, such as archery, swords, and such things. How very unladylike."

"Ah, I see! I'll be sure to tell someone if she's not back in an hour, But, dun worry my dear. Let her have some fun while she is here!"  
>"I suppose so, but stop rhyming Fergus! Leave that to Barbour." Elinor replied, picking up her skirts. "Well, we shall see you two later in the dining hall! Have a pleasant afternoon!" They waved goodbye to Rapunzel and Eugene.<p>

"But dun worry dear," Elinor was saying to Fergus, "I told her about it before she left."  
><em>Let's just hope she paid attention to what I said...<em>

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><p><em>Whoosh!<em> Two horses sped by, one black and one brown, past trees and bushes. The black one's rider had tightly curled, red hair going in all directions, and blue-green eyes. She was wearing a dress that matched her eyes, and a black cape billowed behind her. The cape's hood had blown off her head. She was King Fergus and Queen Elinor's daughter.

Following close behind her was Kathleen, wearing her usual tomboyish style of knee high brown boots and an altered, old, blue dress of her mother's. Her light brown hair flew behind her as she rode by on her father's horse.

The two urged their horses over a fallen tree and stopped a little way from it. Merida jumped off her horse, Angus, and reached for her bow and and quiver, which were slung over her shoulders.

"This should be da perfect place for target practice!," Merida said, "There are plenty of trees to begin with and there might be luck of a small animal. What do you say?"  
>"Sounds good to me," Kathleen replied, "How do I start?" She eagerly grasped her bow and tried to hold up an arrow to shoot, but she lost her grip and the arrow dropped strait into the ground.<p>

" Here, let me show you," Merida said, setting down her bow and arrows, "Hold da arrow like this," She placed Kathleen's hand in the right position. "Now pull da bow back. Wait! Pull da string part! That's it! Now you have to..."

Just then Kathleen let go of the string and it went soaring through the woods. _Thwunk!_ It hit a faraway tree.  
>"Kathleen! You're supposed to aim it first!" Merida shouted.<p>

"Sorry! I just realized that." Kathleen replied, and walked off towards the tree to retrieve her arrow.

Merida shook her head. It was going to take a little time to teach Kathleen archery, and she was surprised she didn't already know how! Oh, wait, that's right. Kathleen's kingdom used some other type of weapon. Of course, it took some time for her to learn archery when her father gave her a bow when she was young, but they only had until the next afternoon!

"Okay, Kathleen," said Merida, "let's try this again," This time Kathleen waited for instruction on how to aim.

"See this right here? Line this up with that knothole on that tree over there. _Now_, let go." Merida said, and watched as the arrow hit the target right on the dot.

"WOW! I did it!" Kathleen screamed in amazement. Merida cringed when she screamed.

"Great work," Merida congratulated. Just then a rustling sound wavered through the tree limbs, and a squirrel scampered down a branch.  
>"Look there," said Merida, "See if you can shoot it."<p>

"Alright," Kathleen replied. She lined up her arrow and let it go. _Thwunk!_ It hit the tree instead, and the squirrel ran off in fright.

"Oh, well. I didn't really want to hurt it anyway," Kathleen said.

" That's okay," Merida replied, "Why dun you show me your weapon you wanted to show me?"

"Oh, right! I almost forgot!" Kathleen answered, and dashed off to her horse. She rummaged around in the saddle bag, and pulled out what looked to be an old frying pan.

"Meet Corona's best weapon ever!" Kathleen exclaimed.

"Pardon?"

"It's a frying pan!" she explained.

"Well, of course I see that," Merida said, searching for words, " But...a frying pan? As a weapon?"

"Yup. Frying pan, meet my friend, Merida. Merida, meet Frying pan." Kathleen introduced the two.

"You named it Frying pan?"

"No, not really. I was just...being silly. However, they really work for knocking people out, keeping foes out of the way by using it as a sword, and lots of other uses," Kathleen rambled on.

"Okay..." Merida said, a little uncertain. "How about you tell me some more on da way back? It's getting a bit late." She eyed the horizon, where the sun was slowly setting.

"Sure, no problem, and I'm sure Flynn (AN she still calls him Flynn because its "easier" to say, but Eugene never really appreciates it) has lots of stories he can tell you about them. Like when Rapunzel knocked him out with one when he first climbed her tower."

"She hit him with a frying pan? That sounds awful!" Merida exclaimed, covering her mouth.

"Not really. That was before they were married." Kathleen replied. Merida looked disgusted at the word "married."

"Oh, you'll have to meet my horse, Branhilde. She's probably back with Maximus, Flynn, and Rapunzel by now." Kathleen continued.

"I'd love to! She's black, like Angus, right?" Merida asked.

"That's right! Only she's an Arabian, not a Clydesdale. But they do look similar in color. I'm sure they'll become great friends with each other!" Kathleen answered.  
>Merida smiled. Kathleen sure is one strange girl. But it was nice to finally have a friend who shared the same interests with her, and could understand her. Even though her mum was more aquainted with Merida's feelings, she still had a harder time understanding her daughter at times. At least Merida knew her mum cared to try to understand her and loved her. That's what counted.<p>

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><p><em>Poof! Poof!<em> Rapunzel squirted perfume around her neck. She quickly brushed through her short hair and carefully placed the crown back on her head. She studied her reflection in the mirror hoping she looked presentable. She down at Pascal who gave her a thumbs up. She smiled.

Stepping out of her bedroom door, she carefully walked down the hall and down the grand staircase. Suddenly, she slipped on something cold and shiny and went sliding down the rest of the steps, spinning round and round at the bottom. She sat, shocked, as she tried to focus in on the fuzzy object in front of her. Her head was spinning like a top.

"You alright there, Blondie?" the object asked. It was Eugene.

Rapunzel nodded her head. "I think so," she replied. "What happened?" She dusted off her skirt and shakily stood up.

"Apparently you slipped on that," Eugene said, pointing to the silver serving tray.

"What? How in tarnation did that get there?" Rapunzel wondered aloud. "Now it has handprints and footprints all over it and the cooks will have to polish it again!"

"Footprints? I thought you were supposed to be wearing shoes, hmm?" Eugene teased.  
>Rapunzel looked down at her bare feet. "Whoops! I guess I'll go get some," she said, sheepishly. She muttered to herself, "I hate shoes."<p>

Eugene chuckled, "Meet me down here when you're through, Blondie."

"I'm not blonde anymore, Eugene! Stop calling me that! It doesn't sound right."

"Well you are one to me. My Blondie. Besides, I can't call you Brownie cause then it would sound like I'm going to eat you!"

Rapunzel giggled as she ran inside her room to grab her shoes.

Eugene chuckled to himself and turned to look at the massive paintings on the walls. Some were of the King and the Queen, others were of Rapunzel as a baby. There was a strikingly new one of Punzie that was painted when she was returned home.

Squeak, squeak. Eugene whipped around, startled. He shrugged, and took hold of Rapunzel's hand to escort her to the dining room.

"Harris, stop shuffling your feet. Someone will ear you." Hubert whispered. They were hiding behind a pedestal.

"Sorry," Harris apologized.

"I hope they dun tell on us," Hamish whispered, "I dunnae mean for her to step on it." He looked at his brothers.

Uh, oh, they all mouthed. Their prank was meant for their red-headed sister. When they heard the door open they had thought it was her. But Merida was far from her bedroom at that moment...

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><p>Both horses were panting as they galloped over the bridge leading to Corona. Angus neighed,<p>

"I know, Angus, but we're a;most there," Merida said, soothing her horse.

"Sorry, Merida, I should have paid more attention to the time," Kathleen said apologetically.

"It's alright. It was my fault, really. I knew we weren't going to have much time in the beginning," Merida replied. She slowed Angus to a trot, and turned him left.

"Wait, Merida! I don't think we'll have enough time to stop by my house. We'll have to go straight to the castle."

"But... you're clothes..." Merida began.

"It's fine. This isn't the first time its happened," Kathleen assured her.

"Well then, why dun you borrow one of my dresses? I sun really like most of them anyway," Merida offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! Why not?" Merida answered, "Now let' hurry or my mum, da, and your grandfather will be upset."

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><p>Elinor carefully tucked a stray gray hair in place and took out her crown. She placed the emerald and gold pried possession on her head. Some day her daughter would wear it, but right now she was more concerned with her daughter's tardiness for dinner. She looked at the wooden clock ticking on the wall of one of the many guest bedrooms.<p>

"Where is that Merida? I always tell her that a princess is _never_ tardy. The least she could do is be on time!" Elinor said to herself. Raising her impetuous daughter could be quite a job at times.

Just then, Merida burst through the bedroom door, "Sorry I'm so late, mum! I was teaching Kathleen archery skills and we lost track of time,"

"I can see that, dear," Elinor replied, "Being queen, and a guest too, I must be on my way to the dinner hall. I hope you remember everything I taught you dear on proper princess etiquite and dress. Let's see how you do on your own this time. Meet me in ten minutes, Merida," And with that she stepped out og the room and made her way down the hall.

Merida turned to see a shimmering satin dress of navy blue lying on the chair in the corner.

Gold thread shoes with lace up ankles were on the floor next to it. Her mum must have picked them out for her.

Just then her mum poked her head around the corner. "I almost forgot to tell you, dun forget your crown!" she said, and once again swished down the hall.

A few minutes later Merida heard someone creep into the room.

"Is the coast clear?" Kathleen asked.

"I believe so. Why dun you look in the closet for a dress?" Merida suggested.

"Right." Kathleen answered. She flung open the door of the dresser. There were several dresses, mostly blues, greens, and a few reds. "Which ones would fit me, you think?"

"Try the ones to the left. They're mine and will probably fir you better." Merida replied.

Kathleen picked out a turquoise one. "How about this one?"

"Nope. I would suggest not. You wun be able to move,"

"Kathleen sorted through the dresses again. She picked out another turquoise one with gold-colored puffs at the elbows.

"How about this? Better?"

Merida peeped from over the changing curtains. "Hmmm... Perfect if you dun wear a corset."

"Don't wear a corset?" she asked her friend.

"Nope. I'm not so I can move."

"Well, alright..."

They both quickly threw on the dresses and brushed through their hair. Kathleen picked up the perfume bottle and sprayed a few quick squirts on herself.

"What? Dun use that! You'll smell like a flower and attract bees!" Merida said.

"Well, I don't normally use it, but it's better than smelling like a horse," Kathleen replied.

"True."

Merida was just about to rush out the door when Kathleen handed her the crown. She quickly rushed back to the mirror. She shoved it on her head, behind her hair and above her ears so that it rested on her forehead. They then quickly ran down the halls to the dining hall so they wouldn't be_ too _late.

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><p><strong>Well, there is that chapter! The mirror and The Diamond Castle will be coming up in the next couple of chapters. I'm mostly introducing characters in the first few chapters before we get to some action. Please review! I like to hear everyone's thoughts!<strong>


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